Man United and Chelsea are keeping close tabs on the situation of River Plate attacking midfielder Franco Mastantuono, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano said that another rival for the 17-year-old’s signature, Real Madrid, have cooled their interest in the player after baulking at his asking price, but the two Premier League sides are still very much in the mix:

“Real Madrid are not happy with the total package for Franco Mastantuono, and they’re still not proceeding.”

“Chelsea and Man United are well informed on the situation. So, it will be one to watch for sure, but it’s an open race.”

How much will Mastantuono cost?

The Argentinian Under 20 international does have a release clause in his contract. The original buyout fee was reportedly €45m (£38.3m) but it has subsequently increased to €50m (£42.5m).

Chelsea have shown with the likes of Estevao that they are willing to spend huge sums on teenagers with relatively little experience of senior football.

It remains to be seen whether United are prepared to follow suit. Mastantuono is a very talented player but they are limited in what they can do in terms of their transfer budget.

Man United are expected to spend £92.5m on two other forwards

Romano has already confirmed that the Red Devils are closing in on a deal to sign Wolves’ Matheus Cunha but they will have to pay the Brazilian’s £62.5m clause upfront in order to secure his services.

If they also splash out £30m on Ipswich’s Liam Delap, it is unlikely that there will be enough room to go after Mastantuono as well.

Sales of players like Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Antony may be needed in order to fund a bid for the young South American playmaker.

Find out who is in Manchester United’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here